The STAR method. Do you know what that is? It’s not the latest fad diet or workout routine but rather a behavioral interview technique. Using this method to answer standard interview questions makes it easy for the interviewer to follow your story.
S is for Situation. Give background on the context of the example you are sharing. This could be a statement like: During my time working for Boeing as a supply management intern, or When I was studying at the University of Texas at Austin, I was involved in an on-campus organization called…
T is for Task. Describe what assignment you are undertaking and include any relevant details to help the interviewer understand your role. For example, I was supporting the firm’s Nike account and was responsible for finding venues to host a yoga workout event in NYC for fifty attendees.
A is for Action. Share the steps you took to complete the task. Continuing with the prior task example, to identify venues, I looked online, searched the firm’s internal database, and put together a detailed Excel list of venues that met these criteria. Next, I found contact information and reached out to each venue to check for pricing and availability. After narrowing down the list and selecting three options, I shared my findings with my management.
R is for Result. What was the outcome of your actions? Include any quantifiable information you can recall and always end on a positive note, even if the question asks about a failure or negative event. Wrapping up the action by stating: During a series of collaborative meetings, the team decided to move forward with booking one of my venues. I was able to use the pricing I received from my research as leverage and save the company about $2,000. The yoga event was extremely successful and my boss shared the client wants to book future events at this location.
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